August 31, 2021

Moderna Creates Twice as Many Antibodies as Pfizer, Study Shows

Let me start by saying, "America... fuck yeah. The boys and girls from Massa-fucken-chussetts have produced the world's finest vaccine... Red White and Blue, Made and Engineered in the USA. The true PATRIOT vaccine.

I've got it in my arm and it's in my portfolio, too...

SpikeVax.

How about some love for the Patriot Vaccine?


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-31/moderna-jab-spurs-double-pfizer-covid-antibody-levels-in-study#:~:text=Moderna%20Creates%20Twice%20as%20Many%20Antibodies%20as%20Pfizer%2C%20Study%20Shows

A study of almost 2,500 workers at a major Belgium hospital system found antibody levels among individuals who hadn’t been infected with the coronavirus before getting two doses of the Moderna vaccine averaged 2,881 units per milliliter, compared with 1,108 units/mL in an equivalent group who got two jabs of the Pfizer shot.

The results, published Monday in a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested the differences might be explained by the:

higher amount of active ingredient in the Moderna vaccine -- 100 micrograms, versus 30 micrograms in Pfizer-BioNTech
longer interval between doses of the Moderna vaccine -- four weeks, versus three weeks for Pfizer-BioNTech
Moderna’s vaccine was associated with a two-fold risk reduction against breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to Pfizer’s in a review of people in the Mayo Clinic Health System in the U.S. from January to July. The results were reported in a separate study released ahead of publication and peer review on Aug. 9.



Now we need to get the unpatriotic America-hating anti-vaxxers to roll up the sleeve.

August 30, 2021

WaPo: The Definitive summary of the collapse of Kabul

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/28/taliban-takeover-kabul/


“We have a problem,” Baradar said, according to the U.S. official. “We have two options to deal with it: You [the United States military] take responsibility for securing Kabul or you have to allow us to do it.”

McKenzie, aware of those orders, told Baradar that the U.S. mission was only to evacuate American citizens, Afghan allies and others at risk. The United States, he told Baradar, needed the airport to do that.

On the spot, an understanding was reached, according to two other U.S. officials: The United States could have the airport until Aug. 31. But the Taliban would control the city...



The Taliban offered to allow US Forces to hold Kabul until evacuations were complete... US officials declined, allowing the Taliban to secure Kabul.

August 28, 2021

$5 Trillion in possible Infrastructure and nothing for Social Security?

My pet peeve and top political issue has always been the Social Security payment structure, particularly the base benefits.

If you had a limited working career, spent decades caring for family members... you might barely have enough credits for the basic Social Security benefits which amounts to around...

$628/month

President Biden proposed raising the minimum benefit to IIRC, around $1200/month during the campaign.

$628 a month is literally cat food... actually I take that back. Those little cans of cat food are $1.30 each. You can't afford cat food.

Better not have to pay rent or a mortgage payment either... or get sick.

There is LITERALLY no political backlash to taking retirees off of poverty... in fact, it might make some retirees start voting BLUE...

August 27, 2021

So much confusion about ISIS, ISIS-K... ISIS this and ISIS that.

ISIS was founded by al Zarqawi in 1999... as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, aka Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, aka Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham.

ISIS... as defined, is 90% dead or disbanded and their proto-State was dissolved.

However... Islamic radical groups have adopted the "Islamic State" moniker and have started "new chapters"

The folks in Afghanistan are actually IS-K... not ISIS-K. They're the Islamic State of Khorasan, formed in 2015 to oppose both the USA and Taliban.

And looking across the globe, one can find other IS "Chapters"

ISIL-YP in Yemen

IS-WAP, West Africa Province

IS-JAD in Indonesia

In summary, "IS" is a prefix meaning "Islamic State" just like "Democratic Republic" or "Federal Republic" or "Kingdom" or whatever...

After IS is where they're located. That's why I'm baffled that the media outlets would be calling everyone ISIS when they're... not.

Rant mode-off

August 26, 2021

Straight up tears on my face... the biggest heart ever to reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

His comments are just brutal to listen to...

August 26, 2021

CENTCOM and the Taliban... sharing INTEL and working together

CENTCOM even confirmed that the Taliban has lists of US evacuees and their contact info and locations.

Sure hope they're trust-able.

August 26, 2021

Sorry if this is a DUPE story... BREAKING, San Diego Students successfully evac'd from Kabul!

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/were-trying-to-get-them-out-san-diego-students-stranded-in-afghanistan-expected-to-return-home-soon/2702761/

Pardon me for the Darrell Issa (Dumbass, Trumpistan County) quote:

“This is great news, the result of tireless work by our team to ensure that our people aren’t left behind in Afghanistan,” said Issa in a press release. “But while we have made extraordinary progress, there are so many more Americans stranded in Afghanistan. We have more work to do and under extremely difficult conditions.”

August 26, 2021

Reuters: At least 12 US soldiers KIA at Kabul Airport.

https://www.reuters.com/world/least-10-us-troops-believed-killed-kabul-blasts-official-2021-08-26/

The count of U.S. troops believed to have been killed in Thursday's Kabul blasts has increased to 12, according to U.S. officials citing initial information that can change.

Other sources I follow confirm 13 dead, 20 injured including 10 in Critical Condition... A very sad day.

August 26, 2021

Second blast rips through Kabul Airport. US and allied casualties...

Would saying "The wheels are coming off..." be hyperbolic?

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-news-taliban-refugees-08-26-21-intl/index.html

August 24, 2021

Please don't CONFLATE the WITHDRAWAL with the EVACUATION.

They're two separate things.

Some of us have been pushing for withdrawal for more than 10 years... more like 19.5, lol...

Some have been blaming Biden for the "Withdrawal". There's absolutely nothing wrong with the withdrawal, the vast majority of Americans support a withdrawal from this endless war.

The evacuation is the final strategic and tactical move made in a withdrawal.

Bottom line, one of these things can be flawed and the other perfect.

I personally don't like Joe taking the blame and saying "the buck stops with..." I don't like it. Joe had NOTHING to do with the tactical movements on the ground. Like ALL POTUS's, he assembles a team of people to implement his own broad and sweeping policy demands.

If something doesn't go right... it means a ball was DROPPED. I really wish we'd see firings or people resign.

One more time, the withdrawal is NOT the evacuation. Separate things, don't get them mixed up.

RW'ers like Fox are using the "Evacuation debacle" to smear the "Withdrawal"... damn neocons are already beginning to miss their "precious" war...